Think you can cook recipes with whey protein like it's flour? Guess again. Learn the secrets!

Many fitness people who cook with whey protein powder think they can treat it the same way they do flour. Newsflash! You can't.

You have to always account for its particularity and cook it on its own terms. This is the case with most protein powders, but it's particularly critical to understand with whey. If you don't, the potential for failure looms large. Whatever you're making can turn out rubbery, "cardboard-y," extremely dry and, well, pretty much impossible to (pleasurably) consume!

Let me give you an example: protein muffins. The first time I made a protein muffin, I followed a recipe I found online. It called for three egg whites and one scoop of whey, to be stuck in a mug and microwaved for a minute. A child could ace this recipe, I thought to myself.

Round and round went my mug inside the microwave. Mesmerized, I watched the mixture rise and rise until it could rise no more. After the minute had passed, this monstrosity began shrinking as quickly as it had mushroomed. I removed it carefully, and my shoulders slumped. My muffin was as deflated as my ego.

It looked like a chewed-up plastic cake, the kind you have to pull out of your dog's mouth after he's been mischievously playing with a child's cookery play set. That's when I took my first bite and realized that, while the muffin tasted more or less okay, chewing it was like chewing on a rubber sole. Horrendous.

Flat As A Pancake

"You can work with whey to create incredibly fluffy and moist pancakes."

I had a similar experience when I first made protein pancakes. I mixed two scoops of whey with three egg whites and a couple scoops of oats.

Result: A bland and ultra rubbery pancake that soured my taste buds and broke my heart. My second abject failure made me want to give up on the idea of ever again cooking with whey.

You will find a lot of recipes online for protein muffins and pancakes that, like the above, leave you feeling as if you're eating a tire.

It doesn't have to be this way, though. It never should.

You can work with whey to create incredibly fluffy and moist pancakes. You can use it to make soft, moist, and delicious protein muffins, muffins that no one will eye suspiciously and bite with the unease of a vampire. Make muffins that no one will be able to resist.

Rules Of The Right Of Whey

There are four rules you must know to successfully cook with whey. Master them, and become master of the protein universe. You may use these rules to bake cakes as well but, for now, let's stick to pancakes and muffins.

Rule 1

Never-NEVER-bake or panfry a batter that is more than ¼ whey. This is because, naturally, whey has a tendency to go dry, rubbery, and "cardboard-up" (if you allow me to paraphrase Steve Spurrier and coin that expression).

You have to offset this tendency. How? By making sure that the rest of your ingredients weigh it down and add enough moisture to counter the whey.